Nurses on the Front Lines: Rx for a Sick System
It is disappointing for Betsy McCaughey to denigrate advanced practice registered nurses in her oped, “When a Nurse is Your HealthCare Provider, You’re at Risk.” (PostOpinion, Jan. 6).
McCaughey’s piece is another in a long line of divisive attempts to promote a status quo that does not benefit patients. She ignores decades of peerreviewed research that consistently shows APRNs provide highquality care and produce outcomes comparable to those achieved by physicians, with high rates of patient satisfaction.
Registered nurses are the largest group of healthcare professionals and are consistently rated the most trusted. The future of patient care requires all healthcare professionals to work as a team. We all deserve nothing less. Pamela F. Cipriano
President American Nurses
Association Silver Spring, Md.
Where is the research to support McCaughey’s misleading oped? Not one statement in her diatribe is supported by data. She merely spouts tired arguments from doctors like Jane Fitch, who has no scientific evidence to support her opinion that anesthesiologists make patients safer. Fact: Six anesthesia studies published since 2000 confirm patients are equally safe receiving anesthesia from a certified registered nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist.
McCaughey says New York is the “19th state to capitulate to aggressive lobbying by nursing groups.” Anyone who thinks physician groups aren’t lobbying even harder to protect their turf had better think again. But despite physicians’ efforts, patients and policymakers recognize advanced practice registered nurses as accessible, safe, costeffective, valuable contributors to the healthcare system who are here to stay. Sharon Pearce
President American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
Park Ridge, Ill.
It is wrong for McCaughey to try to scare New Yorkers into believing they’re at risk when utilizing nurse practitioners, clinicians who for 50 years have delivered highquality, compassionate health care.
Not one state to grant nurse practitioners full-practice authority has ever reversed its decision. New York policymakers took a positive step forward with the passage of the Nurse Practitioners Modernization Act. We applaud what they have accomplished and hope it will continue with even more autonomy for nurse practitioners in the future — a win for patients and the healthcare system at large. Ken P. Miller
President American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Austin, Texas